Sora scanned the area, searching for familiar faces. He spotted Clémence, Pedro, Asia, and Rachel grouped with an unfamiliar player. Noticing Emily heading toward Rachel, he quickly guessed her intentions.
A message from Emily appeared:
[Emily Frekk has sent an invite to join a squad]
[Emily Frekk: Glad to see you and Kara made it to this floor. Let’s team up. I’ll figure out why that ungrateful kid Rachel is ditching her guild to cozy up with Clémence.]
Sora smiled at the notification and responded with a thumbs-up emoji. His eyes shifted back to the crowd until he spotted Kara approaching, a grin lighting her face.
“It’s been a while, Kara. Strange spending so many years without seeing you,” he greeted her warmly.
“We both know how it feels to be cut off from the world for years now—but this time you even had your familiars with you,” Kara replied, her tone a mix of joy and curiosity. “I missed you too, but I missed Hiyoko even more. What did you do to her? She looks even smaller than before.”
Sora smiled, watching as Hiyoko hopped from his shoulder into Kara’s waiting arms.
“Master has tortured me for years!” Hiyoko chirped dramatically. “I suffered so much… But I think I’ve finally become stronger than you, Sister Kara.”
Kara’s smile froze for a moment at the little bird’s innocent boast. “Oh my… still as bold as ever,” she replied, her fingers sparking faintly with sword energy.
Sora observed the flow of her energy, sighing in amazement. He’d once believed raw mana was the pinnacle of power, dismissing other energy types as inferior. But Kara’s mastery of Life Force and Sword Energy showed him otherwise. She had pushed them far beyond their basic forms .
The past five years had taught him that any path, if pursued far enough, could lead to incredible power. Even so, he remained focused on his own path, curious to see where it would take him.
Netsu watched as Kara and Hiyoko played, while Sora continued scanning the room, looking for any players he could ‘carry’ through the next challenge.
Spotting Salim, the North African player, standing alone and eyeing the groups forming around him, Sora sent him a message.
[Ralph Eden: Hey Salim, looking for a group? Kara, Emily, and I are forming a squad.]
Noticing the notification, Salim glanced around before locating Sora. Recognition seemed to dawn on his face after a few seconds. He floated over, stopping a few inches above the floor before joining them.
“Ralph! Kara! It’s great to see other humans this far up the Tower.” Salim grinned broadly. “Thanks for the invite. I’ll shamelessly accept since no one else seems interested. I’d rather avoid teaming up with other races if I can help it. Don’t worry, though—I’ll protect you two since you’re obviously weaker than me!” He laughed, extending his hand for a handshake.
Sora and Kara exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.
“Looking forward to your protection!” Sora said with a grin, shaking Salim’s hand. “Welcome to the team!”
Sora felt a faint energy probing him, and he quickly blocked the intrusion, turning toward the source. His eyes locked on Pedro, whose startled expression betrayed that he hadn’t expected Sora to notice or resist. Emily, chatting nearby with Rachel and Clémence, caught the exchange and smirked knowingly.
After wrapping up her conversation, Emily joined Sora’s group. Spotting Salim among them, she asked, “So, you’re joining our team?”
Salim nodded, and Emily promptly sent him an invite to formally add him to the squad. Once he accepted, Emily addressed the group.
“Pedro mentioned he didn’t have time to collect all the gear he lent out, so he’s fine with us keeping it… but he’d prefer we avoid using it against his team or other humans. Are we all okay with those terms?”
Sora, who was still wearing the [Normal Boots], was fine with such conditions, and even surprised Pedro didn't confiscate all his gear to increase the odds for his team.
“I’m fine with it,” Sora replied. The rest of the group raised no objections, agreeing to the terms.
“We still need a fifth player,” Emily pointed out. “Looks like all humans have already joined their groups.”
There were six human-only teams assembled: one from Africa, one from North America, one from China, and three made up of players from mixed regions.
Kara shook her head and gestured toward a man walking in their direction. Sora recognized him from the North American team, the same group that included Maxwell Phelps from the 8th trial.
Curious, Sora read the name and level floating above the approaching man.
[Morgan Casey - Level 175]
Surprised that someone of his level hadn’t already joined a team, Sora glanced at the North American group and noticed Morgan’s level was higher than any of theirs.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Emily sent a quick message to the squad:
[Emily Frekk: I have a feeling he’s joining us to rack up points and trusts his original team to qualify without him.]
[Ralph Eden: I had the same thought. I haven’t seen anyone challenge him, or spotted him on the eliminated side of the [Challenge room], but he feels stronger than most people in the waiting room—probably top 10 in terms of power.]
Salim, reading the team chat, raised an eyebrow in surprise. Specialized in information gathering, he activated one of his skills to assess Sora. The results left him stunned.
Feeling Sora’s gaze turn toward him, Salim froze as a chill ran down his spine.
With a teasing grin, Sora asked, "Probing your own teammates? So, what did you find out?"
Still unsettled, Salim stammered, “N-Nothing, I swear! But how is that even possible?!”
Sora smiled enigmatically, offering no direct response, and turned his attention back to Morgan.
[Emily Frekk: Should we let him join? If he’s as strong as he seems, he’ll bulldoze through enemies, and we’ll rack up enough points to qualify without much effort.]
[Ralph Eden: Qualifying isn’t enough. I want the top reward. And I want my allies to achieve similar rewards if possible. As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, there’s no reason to refuse him.]
The man had finally reached them, taking his time to gauge the team dynamic.
He stopped and addressed Emily and Salim directly. “Who’s the squad leader?”
Salim, still shaken from earlier, stayed silent, leaving Emily to step up. “It’s me. Do you need something?”
Morgan raised an eyebrow at her response, thinking, 'Isn't it obvious I’m here to join your squad?'
“I want to join your group,” he said confidently. “I’m sure I can help everyone in the team pass—if you follow my instructions.”
Emily’s eyes shone with a grin. “We wouldn’t mind you joining, but you’ll have to follow my lead. If you’ve got suggestions, I’m happy to hear them—but our squad, our rules.”
Sora felt a twinge of embarrassment at her provocative words, thinking, 'She’s so stubborn and childish'.
Morgan, however, didn’t take offense. “I’m fine with you leading… but can you show me we’ll do better under your command?”
Emily tilted her head. “I can’t prove anything now, but why don’t you see for yourself in the field? We can always make you the leader if we lose the first round.” Her smile lingered as she sent a private message to Sora.
[Emily Frekk: I’m betting everything on you, Ralph. Pedro said he can’t see through you anymore, and it can only mean one thing. Don’t make me regret this and embarrass the guild in front of this muscle mountain.]
Sora nearly chuckled aloud at the stark contrast between her confident demeanor and the tone of her message. 'Pedro’s ability to assess others is incredible. I’m not sure many can block his prying skills.'
With a nod, he reassured her, ready to live up to the challenge.
------------------------------------
With the team now complete, the squad began exchanging information about the other players and teams.
Morgan, however, couldn’t shake his irritation over how things had unfolded.
'Damn it, I had to join a team with a stubborn leader. They should understand I left my own squad because I trust they can qualify without me. Why does this blood witch insist on taking charge when I’m clearly the best chance they have?'
Despite his annoyance, Morgan had seen Emily in action and admitted she was formidable. Yet, from his observations, she had weaknesses against higher-tier players, including himself.
Clearing his head, he tried to focus on the upcoming battles. 'Soon enough, they'll understand just how strong the other squads are. When things get tough, I’ll be there to save them.’
The squad was teleported to the battlefield—a massive, circular arena spanning hundreds of kilometers. At their level, such distances were meaningless; any of the competitors could cross them in an instant.
Morgan observed the squads positioned around the arena’s edge, each preparing for the imminent battle. Taking advantage of the pre-fight moments, he activated every buff he needed, feeling the surge of power flow through him.
The young woman beside him added her support abilities, amplifying his strength further.
'What power! he marveled, feeling his life force multiply a hundredfold. 'This girl is a gem. Then again, who isn’t extraordinary this far up the Ascension Tower?'
His admiration faded when he noticed the boy next to her, seemingly doing nothing. The boy stood motionless, not even bothering to buff himself or anyone else. Morgan sneered. 'Don’t tell me this guy thinks he can just ride on everyone else’s efforts.'
Shaking his head in disappointment, Morgan turned his attention back to the other teams. But then, an unexpected sensation drew his focus back.
'This energy… [Earth Element]?'
He glanced over his shoulder and was stunned to see the same “slacker” gathering a massive amount of [Earth Element], condensing it in his fist. The density of mana was far beyond what he’d expected anyone in the tower to handle. Yet the boy handled it with an almost casual demeanor, and the pressure only continued to rise.
Morgan’s body trembled involuntarily. He stumbled back, his back pressing against the barrier surrounding their team. His teammate, Salim, equally shaken, wore an expression of pure disbelief.
'What… what is this? Who is this guy? Such overwhelming power at his level…'
Cold sweat dripped down Morgan’s back. But as the realization of the boy’s strength sank in, a flicker of hope ignited within him. 'With someone like him among humans, maybe we do have a shot at reaching the top of the tower. Maybe… the guildmaster was wrong. There might actually be hope for humanity!'
Morgan’s gaze returned to the boy, who stood calmly amidst the storm of condensed elements. He felt a pang of pity for their opponents.
As his teammate vanished, Morgan shook his head. "There’s no stopping him..."
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image-2024-11-02-192827181 [https://i.ibb.co/ZGDZGCj/image-2024-11-02-192827181.png]
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